Key Success Factors for Project Planning, Monitoring, and Control

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Introduction
The essay aims to discuss the key success reason and factors related to planning,
monitoring and controlling a project. The project manager is mainly chosen for managing all the
aspects of a project, which includes planning, monitoring and enforcing control on the project.
The essay aims in discussing the key success factors that are needed to plan, control and monitor
a chosen project. It is necessary to investigate the key success factors linked with project
management. Ensuring project success is a critical factor that is related to project management.
Effective monitoring and control of a particular project is necessary to ascertain stakeholders
engagement in a chosen project. One most common cause of project failure is improper project
planning. Ineffective project planning can result in project failure (Kerzner and Kerzner 2017).
Project manager mainly has a responsibility of developing a plan for a particular project. An
effective project plan is one of the key factors that contributes to management of the project. The
essay aims in understanding the need of effective project management, the key success factors
that are required for planning, monitoring and controlling a project. The essay is followed by
evaluation of the literature sources to understand the key success factors that is needed to plan,
control and monitor the execution of a project.
Project Management and Role of Project Manager
Project management can be described as a practice of initiating, planning, execution and
controlling a project. Project management particularly involves choosing an effective and
experienced project manager who will be responsible for planning, monitoring and execution of
a particular project (Schwalbe 2015). The primary challenge experienced by a project manager
involves planning and execution of a project in a planned manner and management of the team

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members. Project manager is an important entity of the project team particular because the
operation of the entire team and the project largely depends on the factors that results to success
in a project. The project manager is responsible for achieving the project goals within a set
constraint. Therefore effective project planning is quite necessary to ensure successful project
execution.
Project Manager’s Role
Project manager is always accountable for measuring and managing success and failure
of a project. The main responsibilities of project manager encompasses planning, execution and
closing a project. Therefore, it is mainly observed that a project manager is provided with a
responsibility of building a comprehensive work plan and is further responsible for management
of the project budget (Larson and Gray 2017). It is observed that the project manager is
acountable for effective management of the uncertainties associated with the project. A project
manager has a responsibility of controlling the project closure. The project manager is
accountable for managing the scope of a project. Identification of project scope is a part of
project planning activity. However, project manager does not play the role of estimator,
scheduler or the contract administrator.
Although a project manager is accountable for management of planning, monitoring and
execution of the project, the manager is accountable of identification of the factors that
contribute to project failure. Project manager is considered to be an important entity of a project
as it ensures that a proper plan is developed in successful management and execution of a
particular project. As a manager it is necessary to prevent situation that hampers timely

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accomplishment of the tasks. Therefore, development of a project plan that can help in successful
execution of a project is quite integral.
It is quite essential to analyze the key factors of success that is needed to effective
planning, monitoring and controlling of a project (Larson and Gray 2017). . A number of
organization invests heavily on project management as it focuses on doing more with the
resources available in a project. The project manager is certainly accountable for managing the
project performance and for that it is quite vital to plan the scope of a project in an effective
manner (Heagney 2016). The following section of the essay identifies the key success factors
associated with planning monitoring and control of a project.
Key Success Factors Required for Planning
This section of the report identifies the key success factors that are needed for planning a
project. The success factors that enables effective and strategic planning of a project is indicated
in the following paragraphs.
Engagement: The engagement of the project team members is necessary to ensure
successful execution of a project. However, it is observed that only 23% of the companies make
use of effective and formal strategic planning to ensure that an effective project planning is
necessary (Larson and Gray 2017). . Engagement of the team members in development of a
project plan is required to ensure that a well strategic project plan is developed in a project.
Engagement of the project team members in effective planning is needed.
Communication: Communication is a key tool that ensure all the team members are
informed with the key issues associated with a project (Harrison and Lock 2017). A project
manager is generally accountable for developing a plan for communication. The communication

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plan helps in effective information flow. While developing a project plan, or during the project
planning phase, it is required for a project manager to communicate the same with all the team
members associated with a project. While development of a project plan, it is necessary for a
project manager to communicate the project strategies to the project team (Larson and Gray
2017). . Therefore, communication is considered to be one of the key strategies or success factor
that works for the success of a project. Development of an effective project plan is therefore
subjected to effective communication among the project team. Team involvement is found to be
one of critical success factors that contributes to the successful project planning.
Innovation: Innovation is a key to successful project planning. An effective project plan
needs to reflect innovative thoughts on the project. A well-structured project plan helps in
effective execution of a project. It is necessary for the manager and the project team to try
something risky or innovative in a project. The strategic plan includes development of new
products which are subjected to development of innovative project plans (Larson and Gray
2017). . Therefore, it can be said that innovation is one of the most critical factors that are
accountable for the success of a project. Every organization need to possess effective strategies
for innovation that helps in delivery of new product and services.
Team Motivation: Team motivation is considered to be one of the most significant
factors that contribute to the successful project planning. Team motivation is a powerful tool that
motivates the project team in successful project planning and execution (Crawford 2014). If the
team members are motivated to develop an effective plan for a project, it is expected that those
members will remain motivated to provide an effective work throughout the execution of the
project.

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Scope Identification: It is possible for a manager to design an effective project plan only
after identification of the scope of a project. It is necessary for a manager to know the in scope
and out of scope characteristics of a project to analyze whether a project will be successfully
implemented or not. Appropriate scope identification is one critical success factors that
contributes to successful project planning. Scope identification is one critical factor that
contribute to project success as it is an important component that contributes to development of a
successful project plan (Marchewka 2014). Appropriate identification of the scope of a project
further helps in avoiding chances of scope creep in a project. Reducing the scope creep in a
project further helps in enforcing effective control on the execution of the project.
The above discussed points identify the critical success factors associated with the
effective planning of the project. The following section gives an idea of critical success factors
that enforces effective monitoring and control of the project.
Key Success Factors Required for Monitoring
This section will be discussing the major factors that contribute to effective project
monitoring. Project monitoring is considered to be one of the major factors that ensure successful
execution of a project. Effective project monitoring is one key responsibility of a project
manager and therefore, it is necessary to analyze the success factors that contribute to effective
monitoring. It is project manager’s responsibility to enforce effective control on the undertaken
project (Kerzner 2018). The key success factors that are accountable for effective project
monitoring are discussed in the paragraphs below-
Appointment of a project supervisor: Appointing an effective project supervisor is
considered to be one of the key success factors that are accountable for the success of effective